Soldiers Of The Empire
by BlackWindHowls
Summary: Ty Cilias is a recent graduate of the Imperial Academy on Carida and begins his service for the Empire aboard the Star Destroyer Black Hole. Now completed
1. Default Chapter

Ty Cilias tried not to show his nervousness as he saw the transport shuttle approaching the platform. Much like the other people waiting, he had recently graduated from the Imperial Academy on Carida and was about to embark on his career in the Empire. Ty had spent the past few months of his life training to become a Stormtrooper and now he was leaving behind familiar surroundings for some Star Destroyer he had been assigned to.

"Been assigned to Admiral Drayson's Star Destroyer, huh?" a man standing next to Ty asked and appeared to be about the same age.

"Yeah," Ty replied. "I'll be serving on the _Black Hole_ until I get reassigned or worse."

With what happened at Yavin a few days before, he didn't want to think much about the worse.

"Same here," the man with black hair and about two feet taller than Ty replied. "My name is Jacen Westan."

"I'm Ty Cilias," Ty replied. "You're a Stormtrooper, right?"

"Yeah," Jacen replied. "Maybe we'll get to go hunting down rebels together sometime soon." Jacen laughed.

"Who knows, we might get our chances very soon," Ty said. "I'm sure Emperor Palpatine is mad about what happened to the Death Star. It's obvious he doesn't like failure, especially on a level like the destruction of his superweapon."

"I'm sure the Rebel Alliance won't last much longer," Jacen replied. "Too bad Aldeeraan had to be destroyed, though. It was pretty nice there."

Ty wished he had gotten the chance to visit Aldeeraan. Growing up on Coruscant, he had heard Aldeeraan was nothing like it. All he knew and seen of Aldeeraan was from holos. But, he supposed it didn't really matter now. Because of their sympathy to the Rebellion, Emperor Palpatine had to do what he had to do.

"I'm sure our forces will put down this rebellion soon enough," Ty said.

The transport shuttle landed on the platform and everyone shuffled aboard.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Ok, things are a little slow right now, but trust me, I'll try to speed things up soon. _

Ty and Jacen sat down aboard the shuttle next to each other. To make the trip shorter, they began talking about their lives before the Empire.

"So, where are you from?" Jacen asked.

"My family and I lived on Coruscant," Ty repied. "My great grandfather was the first to move there a few years before the Clone Wars started. What about you?"

"Corellia," Jacen replied. "My parents moved there about two years before I was born. Why'd you sign up?"

Ty ran his hand through his blonde hair. It was more of a nervous habit now when he didn't know what to say. Truth be told, he joined to live up to his family's expectations.

"To stop the Rebel Alliance from plunging the galaxy into disorder," Ty replied. "My parents often told me when I was young how the galaxy was before I was born."

"Oh," Jacen said. "I joined because I had nothing else to do." He laughed.

"Prepare to dock with the Star Destroyer," the shuttle's pilot said from the front.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Ty said. "I wonder what Admiral Drayson is like?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Jacen said.

A few minutes later, the shuttle docked with the Star Destroyer and everyone marched out and stood in formation. Standing not far away were two people. One appeared to be approaching middle age with his greying black hair. The other was about one foot shorter than the other and had dark brown hair. After everyone stood in formation, the older man began speaking.

"Welcome to the _Black Hole_," Admiral Luke Drayson said. "Standing next to me is Captain Xander Vuroan, my second in command. When I finish, he will be in charge of showing you around the Star Destroyer and where you will be staying. Now, I'm sure you all are aware of the recent loss of the Death Star and thousands of Imperial soldiers at the hands of the rebels. I am sure each of you will do your best to help fill in the void and make the Empire even greater. It makes me glad to see there are those who still want to protect the galaxy from chaos and terrorism. Unfortunately, at the moment, I have important business to attend to for Emperor Palpatine. Go ahead, Captain."

Admiral Drayson turned and walked away.

"Hello," Captain Vuroan said in a serious tone. "Please follow me and, as Admiral Drayson said, I will show you around the Star Destroyer."

Captain Vuroan showed them the basics such as the mess hall and areas, given their rank, they were not allowed to enter and areas that they were. Finally, Captain Vuroan showed each where they would be staying. Luckily, Jacen and Ty rooms were next to each other.

"Now go settle into your rooms," Captain Vuroan said. "Your first training mission will not be long off."


	3. Chapter 3

_A\N: Sorry this has taken so long to do and send in. I've been really busy with classes and, now that summer is here, I am just now getting back to feeling up to writing this._

After Ty and Jacen set their private quarters up, they decided to go to the mess hall and get something to eat before their training mission would begin. According to Captain Vuroan, they would have plenty of time to get something to eat if they went on. So, together, the two friends walked through the seemingly same corridors until they came to the mess hall. They stood in line, grabbed some trays, got their food, and sat at an empty table in the far right corner of the room.

"I wonder what this training mission will be like?" Jacen asked.

"I don't know," Ty said and began eating. "Probably won't be much to it though, whatever it is. Can't expect to go straight into the battlefield, I guess."

"And that's too bad, I want to get these rebels as soon as possible," Jacen said with deep resentment in his voice.

Of course, that type of resentment towards the rebellion was normal for any loyal Imperial soldier, but to Ty, Jacen sounded much more angry when mentioning the Rebel Alliance than normal.

"Um, yeah," Ty replied. "I don't see why they would want to restore the Republic. I mean, I'm not old enough to remember how things were before Emperor Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor and declared himself emperor, but from what my parents tell me, things weren't that great."

"That's what my parents always use to say," Jacen said. He paused and took a bite of his food. "They often told me stories on how most of the senators became corrupt and pretty much looked out for what was best for them. Like the Jedi did."

Ty suddenly broke eye contact with Jacen and began eating his food nervously.

"What is it?" Jacen asked.

"Nothing," Ty replied without looking up. "Don't worry about it."

"If you say so," Jacen replied. Jacen could tell the mention of Jedi made Ty uneasy, so he figured it was best not to pursue the matter.

Then, a black haired young man approached the table carrying a tray. He was about average height, very thin, and a slightly rounded face.

"Hi," the man said. Ty and Jacen greeted him. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead," Ty said. "Got a lot of empty seats here."

"Thanks," the man said as he placed his tray down and sat. "I'm Ian."

"I'm Ty," Ty said, followed by Jacen's introduction.

"Stormtroopers, right?" Ian asked.

"Yeah," Jacen said. "You were a pilot trainee on Carida, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Ian replied.

"Fighter, transport, or AT-ST\AT specialized?" Ty asked.

"Fighter," Ian said. "I've been interested in joining the Imperial Navy for years."

"Dangerous times for Imperial soldiers these days," Jacen said. "With the rebels and all."

Jacen wasn't lying about that. With the massive loss of Imperial soldiers aboard the Death Star, it went without saying Emperor Palpatine would pursue the rebellion even harder and in return, drive the rebellion to go with more surprise attacks. Anyone claiming loyalty as a soldier to the Empire could very well be dead before long. So was the nature of anyone who wanted to take the galaxy back to the conditions as it once was.

"Yeah," Ian replied. "I don't know why anyone would want to rebel against the Empire. I mean, minus the rebellion, things are safer now than ever."

"Who knows with these rebel types," Jacen said. "Just like with that Trade Federation when they blockaded Naboo. Did the Republic do anything to them afterwards? No, they just let them off with not even so much as a slap on the wrist! Not Emperor Palpatine though. No, he made sure the Trade Federation was disbanded and the druids completely shut down."

Ty just simply sat there eating as he listened to Ian and Jacen talk about how great things were under Emperor Palatine's control. Secretly, he didn't care much for the Empire, but at the same time, he was glad the Empire was in place and the galaxy wasn't on the same path as with the Republic in the later years. He had never thought it was ok with oppressing aliens, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. In fact, as a kid, a few of his friends had been aliens. Unfortunately, he had no choice but support the Empire. 

The three men continued conversing for the next few minutes as they ate. After a little over an hour, Captain Vuroans' voice broke in over the Star Destroyer's comlink.

"All Stormtrooper trainees report to the briefing room," Captain Vuroan said. "You're first real mission for the Empire will begin shortly."

"Well, that's us," Ty said as he stood. "I guess we'll be seeing you later."

"See you later," Ian told Ty and Jacen. "Good luck on the mission."

After saying farewell to Ian, Ty and Jacen placed their trays away and hurried to the briefing room. Upon entering the room, they saw most of the other Stormtrooper trainees had already arrived and sitting. The two friends walked to the back of the room and sat in two empty seats next to each other. Shortly after, Captain Vuroan walked into the room.

"Welcome to the briefing room," Captain Vuroan said. "I'm sure you're all anxious to get your first mission out of the way, so fortunately, this won't take long. Needless to say. this mission is a rather simple one. In a few moments, you will be sent to the surface on Tatooine. Mos Eisely to be exact. The Imperial moff has been reporting a few local businesses have not been paying their taxes to Emperor Palpatine as required. When the moff tried unsuccessfully to resolve the matter peacefully, the owners simply told him the taxes were unfair and plainly refused to pay. So, your job will be go to each owner of these businesses and get them to pay their taxes. If they still refuse, arrest them. Your Stormtrooper commander will fill you in on the way to the surface and direct you as to where to go. Now, go put your armor on and get to the shuttle."

"Time to show these people why it's not wise to go against Emperor Palpatine," Jacen muttered to Ty.

The soldiers shuffled down the hall, entered a room, and placed their Stormtrooper armor on. Finally, they promptly headed to and boarded the shuttle where the Stormtrooper commander was awaiting their arrival. After everyone boarded and safely secured, the shuttle undocked with the Star Destroyer and began its trip to Tatooine. As the shuttle traveled, the Stormtrooper commander began telling everyone where to go.

"You two," the Stormtrooper commander said motioning to Ty and Jacen, "take care of the cantina. You'll see it as soon as we enter the city."

Once the shuttle landed, a dozen white armor clad Stormtroopers walked off and headed to their designated places. Silently, Ty and Jacen walked through the entrance of the cantina and looked around. No sooner than they did, the entire group of patrons fell silent and stared at the two friends as they walked towards the bartender.

"I believe you know what we're here for," Jacen said as they approached the bartender. "And we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Take your choice."

"I'll tell you like I told Moff Gyion," the bartender said. "I am not paying these taxes! They are too high! I was barely able to pay the taxes before Emperor Palpatine raised them and still make a living! I can not pay!"

"The only other option is we arrest you," Ty said.

"Then you must simply arrest me," the bartender replied. He was obviously nervous, as he was beginning to sweat quite a bit.

"Look, none of us want to go through the process of placing you under arrest," Ty said. "So, why don't you make it easy on all of us and--"

Suddenly, Ty was interrupted by the familiar sound of laser blasts being fired. Seconds later, the Stormtrooper commander's voice broke in on their helmet comlinks.

"Rebel forces are in the area!" the Stormtrooper commander yelled. "We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack by rebel forces!"

Ty and Jacen looked at each other. If facial expressions could be seen through the helmets, both would have a scared look on their faces.


	4. The Battle Of Mos Eisley

_A/N: Please Keep In Mind This Is The First Battle I've Ever Writeen About. Oh, there are several different scenes in this chapter, but I can't figure out how to get the things I used to separate each to stay when I post the chapter. So, I apologize for this being a little hard to read. I'm trying something else, so if this doesn't work, I don't know what else to do._

* * *

As the battle outside between Stormtroopers and rebel soldiers ensued, the cantina patrons ran for cover. None of them were about to be caught up in a battle between the two armies unless they knew it would prove gain for them. But, Ty and Jacen headed towards the entrance and prepared themselves. 

"Looks like we'll get our chance to kill some rebels after all," Jacen said as he readied his blaster rifle.

"Looks like it," Ty replied as he readied his.

"Cover me, I'm going in," Jacen said.

"Jacen, wait!" Ty said.

But, it was too late. No sooner than he did, Jacen ran out the door, barely missing being shot, and rolled into the alley across from the cantina. Ty ran out and crouched behind a large wooden crate outside the door. As the battle raged on, Ty looked around to see where the rebel fire was coming from. Every where he looked, he saw the Stormtroopers who had been on the mission, local Stormtroopers, and rebel soldiers running around.

As Ty looked around, Jacen fired his blaster rifle and got a hit on a rebel soldier as he ran from one alley to another and killed him.

"Yes! My first rebel kill!" Jacen said.

"Keep your celebration until the end of the battle, soldier!" the Stormtrooper commander ordered over the comlink.

Ty fired his rifle but missed the rebel he aimed at. Seeing Ty, the rebel fired his blaster rifle at him but Ty ducked behind the crate just as the laser flew past where his head had just been. At this point, Ty's heart was pounding. He had often seen battles between the Empire and rebellion on holos, but it was nothing compared to actually being _in_ the battle. Suddenly, a laser fired from behind Ty and seconds later hit the same rebel soldier followed by his body dropping to the ground. Then, one of the Stormtroopers who had come on the mission crouched next to Ty.

"Be careful," he said, "that one almost got you."

"Thanks," Ty replied.

"Don't mention it," the Stormtrooper replied. "There looks like there's only about ten more rebels. Come on, you're friend needs help!"

The Stormtrooper motioned to where Jacen now was and Ty looked. Indeed, Jacen was taking cover behind a building and was in a firefight with four rebels.

"Yeah, let's go back him up," Ty said. Ty and the Stormtrooper made sure it was all clear and made their way slowly where Jacen was as close as possible.

Ty fired his blaster rifle and hit one of the rebels. The other three ducked out of the way before being hit. Suddenly, from where they were hiding, something was seen flying through the air and landed near where Jacen, Ty, and the Stormtrooper were.

"It's a thermal detonator!" Ty yelled as he realized what it was. "Get out of the way!"

As the three ran, the thermal detonator exploded and fortunately cost no damage on the three Stormtroopers.

The battle raged on for another standard twenty minutes. In the end, the Empire had won the battle with over fifteen rebel soldiers dead. Unfortunately, eleven of the twenty Stormtroopers who had been on their training mission had been killed. Once the battle ended, the remaining Stormtroopers regrouped with their commander and headed for the shuttle landing.

* * *

Admiral Drayson sat in his chair as the Stormtrooper commander entered. The unit had just arrived back aboard the Star Destroyer and Admiral Drayson wanted to speak with the commander immediately for his report to give to Emperor Palpatine. 

"What happened down there, commander?" Admiral Drayson asked.

"Sir, the rebels caught us in surprise," the commander said.

"So, what you're telling me," Admiral Drayson said, "is that when I tell Emperor Palpatine, I need to tell him we lost eleven new Stormtroopers to a random rebel attack?"

"Admiral Drayson," the commander said, "I've been a Stormtrooper for some time now. I've seen a lot of battles in that time, especially involving the Rebel Alliance. With all due respect, this was no surprise attack. If you ask me, the entire attack seemed well planned. Almost as if they were expecting us."

"Are you saying you believe I have a rebel sympathizer on my Star Destroyer?" Admiral Drayson asked.

"If the rebels _were_ waiting for us," the commander said, "I really see no other explanation."

"It's been noted," Admiral Drayson replied. "If there _is_ a sympathizer onboard, he won't be much longer. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir" the commander said, saluted, and walked out.

Admiral Drayson sighed. A rebel sympathizer on his Star Destroyer? If there was, he would be found out and killed. Now, Admiral Drayson needed to alert Captain Vuroan and get him to look into the matter after reporting to Emperor Palpatine.

* * *

"Just like those damn rebels," Jacen said to Ty and Ian. "All we were doing was getting due to Emperor Palpatine and they attack us. No one was getting hurt or anything until they came along. Now, eleven people we saw for years on Carida are dead!" 

"Jacen, calm down," Ty said. "We got them. They lost the battle."

"I know! It's still not fair! I grew up with one of the people that got killed today!" Jacen replied. "I hate the rebellion! It'll be a day too late when we wipe them out. First, they kill thousands of Imperial soldiers on the Death Star and now this!"

Just by the expression on his face, Ty and Ian could tell Jacen was very angry. If looks could kill, the Rebel Alliance couldn't stand a chance against him. Indeed, Ty and Ian were upset and mad as well, but they couldn't hold a candle to Jacen.

"Jacen, the rebels got what they deserved," Ian said. "All we can do now is move on and try our to make sure they're stopped and don't bring disorder back to the galaxy."

"These people had families!" Jacen said, getting angrier. "It makes me sick to think they had to die just because they wanted to serve the Empire."

"But--"

"But nothing! My father died because of the rebels!" Jacen said. Then, he just stopped because he knew he had said too much.

"You're father was killed by the rebels?" Ty asked.

Jacen didn't say anything at first. He just looked away with sadness on his face.

"Yeah," Jacen replied.

"How?" Ty asked.

"He…he was aboard the Death Star," Jacen replied. "He had just been promoted to colonel a few days before the Battle of Yavin."

"I'm sorry Jacen," Ian said.

"Don't worry about it," Jacen replied. "The Rebel Alliance will pay one day. I'll make sure of it."

Ty had no idea. No wonder Jacen would get so angry at the mention of the Rebel Alliance.

* * *

He couldn't get caught. No, couldn't have that happen because he knew how rebel sympathizers were treated in the Empire. One thing was for sure, he had to make sure his tracks were covered as well as possible from now on. It had taken some years, but he now saw how evil the Empire and Emperor Palpatine were and that's why his loyalty had drifted to the Rebel Alliance. Emperor Palpatine didn't have the galaxy's best interest at heart. No, he was only worried about himself. That's why, as a rebel supporter, he had secretly transmitted information on the Stormtrooper recruits going on Tatooine to either force the taxes out of the owners or arrest them. 

From this point forward, especially over the next few days as Admiral Drayson looked into the matter of the rebel sympathizer, he would need to be careful.


	5. The Rebel Sympathizer

Three days passed since the battle in Mos Eisley and everything was going back to normal routine. Families of the fallen Stormtroopers were notified, funerals were arranged and held, and the rest of the crew of the Star Destroyer said their farewells to their friends. Now, among every loyal officer of the Empire aboard the Star Destroyer hate for the Rebel Alliance had grown even more among.

But, hatred for the Rebel Alliance had not grown for all. For the rebel sympathizer aboard the _Black Hole, _he knew he living in very dangerous grounds. But, even at the chance it would cost him his life, he would do his best to help the Rebel Alliance overthrow Emperor Palpatine. If it meant he had to die to help make that happen, the sympathizer knew it was worth it.

Luckily, his standard three day leave had come a day after the battle. As the sympathizer tapped his fingers against the table in the dark corner he was waiting in, he wondered when the rebel contacts would arrive. Not long ago, he had been contacted and told to meet in a cantina on Corellia. As he waited, he made sure the cloak he wore safely covered his face. There was no possible way he could even risk the chance of someone recognizing him as an Imperial soldier and therefore able to identifying him if the rebels were identified.

Twenty standard minutes passed after the rebel sympathizer made it and began wondering if the contacts were really coming. The sympathizer sighed and was about to leave when two people, a young man and woman appearing to be in their early twenties, entered and looked around. The man spotted the sympathizer, whispered something to the woman, and pointed. Then they headed over to the table and sat down.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," the sympathizer spoke. "I was just about to leave."

"We apologize for the delay," the woman said. "But, we had to make sure no unwanted visitors were watching the cantina."

"Apology accepted," the sympathizer said. "Now, I believe we have a few matters to discuss."

"Yes," the man said. "The Rebel Alliance is in need of more blasters. We've gotten a small surge of recruits since we destroyed the Death Star and we don't have enough blasters to accommodate the soldiers. Can you provide any help?"

"I believe so," the sympathizer said. "A small Imperial convoy will be heading from Coruscant for Admiral Drayson's fleet. It won't be heavily guarded, but it will have a nice amount of weapons on them. The convoy will be leaving in five days."

"Thank you," the woman said. "Now, do you have any information on any upcoming Imperial activity from your Star Destroyer?"

The sympathizer looked around to make sure no one was looking and reached into one of his cloak's pockets. Slowly, he pulled out a data card and slid it across the table.

"Admiral Drayson gave me this for when the mission starts so I could brief the Stormtroopers as best as possible," he said. "Everything you need to know is on there."

The woman took the data card and slid it into her pocket. "Thank you again," the woman said. "We'll get this back to Mon Mothma immediately."

"This time I hope the battle turns out differently," the sympathizer said, referring to the battle in Mos Eisley.

"We all do," the man said. He looked around. "We better hurry. I think the man behind the bar is getting starting to feel suspicious about us."

"How do you know?" the sympathizer asked.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," the woman said. "But trust me, Luke can tell."

"If you say so," the sympathizer replied and stood. "But, I must agree, we best be leaving while we can."

"Agreed," the woman said. "Thank you for your help, Captain."

The three silently stood and walked out.


	6. Extermination

The briefing room was filled with TIE pilots and Stormtroopers. They all waited impatiently and fidgeted nervously as they awaited their first formal mission. Unlike the previous, this mission would be their first not intended to be simply training.

"I wonder what this mission is going to be?" Ty asked. He ran his hand through his hair.

"It must be something important if Admiral Drayson will be briefing us," Jacen replied. "But I suppose with the rebel sympathizer on board, Admiral Drayson can't afford to have another ambush waiting for us. Damn rebels. I can't wait until this war is over and they're all dead or captured. Then killed."

"Yeah," Ty said. "I can't wait for the war to be over either. Maybe one day soon though."

"Maybe," Jacen said. "It's going to be--" Jacen was interrupted by the blast door opening as Admiral Drayson walked into the room.

"Ok, attention," Admiral Drayson told the room as it quickly became silent. "As you all know, we have a mission. Before long, we will arrive at the planet Naboo. Emperor Palpatine has received information that there is a city on the planet that supports the Rebel Alliance has been secretly sending them bacta, food, and weapons. Since we are the closest fleet in the area, we've been ordered to go to the planet and destroy the town entirely, the buildings and every citizen living there. Pilots, you will be piloting TIE Bombers. You will be the first wave of attack during the mission. Your targets have been programmed into the targeting computers. Once the buildings have been destroyed, you Stormtroopers will move into the town. Your objective is to find any survivors. Then kill them all."

"Sir, everyone?" a Stormtrooper asked.

"Everyone," Admiral Drayson said. "The entire city must be destroyed. We're within range of Naboo. Suit up and move to your areas. Dismissed."

Without warning, squadrons of TIE Bombers appeared in the sky above the peaceful and large city of Naboo. By then, as anyone watching knew, it was too late to make it safely out of the city. People ran for cover anywhere they could find it. Then bombs began dropping. Where ever the bombs hit, it left its mark. Trees erupted in fire. Grass became smoking black spots. Buildings collapsed. Minutes went by and there was no movement.

About a mile outside the city, the Stormtrooper units awaited with nervous anticipation as they awaited the signal.

"Objective accomplished," the TIE Commander said over the comlink. "Move in when ready."

"Okay," the Stormtrooper Commander said over his comlink. "Move out! Move out! If you find any survivors, make sure they don't stay that way! Take no prisoners!"

Through the secrecy allowed by his helmet, Ty swallowed. He couldn't believe the Empire would actually send them on a mission like this. If the people of the city were actually part of the Rebel Alliance, sure. But all these people had done was send supplies to them. Why couldn't Emperor Palpatine just have sent them to Kessel? But, he knew better than to disobey Emperor Palpatine. No did so and lived to tell about it. Ty grasped his rifle tightly.

So the Stormtroopers quickly entered the town. Silence filled the area. A few unfortunate people hadn't escaped in time as their bodies were scattered everywhere.

"It looks like we don't have much work to do," someone spoke.

"Everyone, split up," the Stormtrooper Commander said. "Search for survivors."

The large group of Stormtroopers did as ordered and went off to search.

"Looks like the bombers did their job," Jacen told Ty over his comlink while searching. "I wanted some action too."

"Yeah, it looks like no one made it," Ty replied. "Hey, here's a building that didn't collapse. Let's check inside."

Ty, Jacen, and a three other Stormtroopers with them entered the one level building. None of them spoke but simply readied their rifles and looked around.

"Looks like no one is here," one of the three Stormtroopers said. "Let's check--wait, what's that?" Crying was heard. "It's coming from over here." The Stormtroopers walked over to a door and opened it, revealing a closet. A young child sat in a closet scared.

"It's just a kid," a Stormtrooper said. "Commander, we've found a child hiding in a closet. What should we do?"

"You have your orders," the Commander said.

"But, sir--" The Stormtrooper said.

"Carry them out or I'll report you, soldier," the Commander said.

The child looked with tears in her eyes as the three Stormtroopers looked silently at each other.

Jacen raised his rifle. The rest looked away as they heard the rifle fire.


	7. Defection

The day following the destruction of the city, life went on aboard the _Black Hole_ as normal. No one talked about the events that had happened during the battle the day before. The day went on, soldiers did training scenarios, ate, lounged in the mess hall. That night, Ty sat in his quarters trying his best to sleep. Every time he drifted off to sleep, nightmares would come and always turned out the same.

In the dream, Ty was in his Stormtrooper armor carrying a blaster rifle. He was walking through a field and every where he looked, children's bodies were scattered everywhere. All of them had dead, blank looks in their eyes. As Ty stepped over one of the bodies, the child suddenly sat up and grabbed his leg. Ty looked down startled as the child screamed.

Ty sat upright covered in sweat. He sighed as stared up at the ceiling through the darkness. This was not what he had expected things to be like when he joined up with the Empire. He expected to fight rebels, pirates, and smugglers. Not murdering innocent women and children. This was not how it was supposed to be. As Ty thought, he heard a soft knock on his door. As he stood and dressed, he wondered who it could be this late at night.

"Who's there?" Ty asked as he finished dressing.

"It's me," Ian whispered from the other side. "Hurry, let me in." Ty quickly opened his door and let Ian in. "Hurry and shut the door."

"Ian, what are you doing up?" Ty asked rubbing his eyes. "I'm tired."

"I want to talk to you about something," Ian replied.

Ty yawned and tried focusing his eyes. "Can't it wait until in the morning?"

"No!" Ian said, almost yelling. "It has to be tonight. Now. It's important."

Ty sighed. "Fine. What is it?"

Ian sat down on the bed and didn't say anything at first. For a few seconds, he appeared to be in deep thought as he sat there fiddling with his fingers. If Ty didn't know any better, he would almost say Ian was afraid. Finally, Ian spoke.

"You think what happened bad just as I do, don't you?" Ian asked.

"Of course I do," Ty replied. "Those were innocent children we killed last night! Whatever their parents had done, the kids didn't deserve to be killed or watch their parents be killed."

"Ty, I'm defecting to the Rebel Alliance," Ian said bluntly.

Ty was taken aback. He didn't know whether Ian was joking or what. He often thought about the Imperials who defected, but Ty never believed he would have ever actually had known one.

"What? Are you crazy?" Ty asked, almost too loudly.

"Keep it down," Ian replied. "Yes, I'm serious. I can't support the Empire anymore."

"Ian, if anyone catches you, they'll kill you without a second thought," Ty pleaded.

Ian looked down at his boots and sat silent for a few seconds before looking back at Ty.

"I don't care anymore," Ian said. "I'd rather die fighting the Empire than live serving something so evil."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ty asked. "How do you know I won't turn you in?"

"Because I've seen how you act when Jacen talks about the rebels," Ian explained. He scratched his elbow. "I recognize the facial expressions. Besides, I'm going to be gone by the time anyone came for me. I'm sneaking off in a few minutes."

"How?"

"Let's just say the rebel agent on board has top level clearance to the shuttles," Ian replied.

"You know who the sympathizer is then?" Ty asked.

"Yes," Ian replied. "Ty, there's another reason I'm telling you this."

"What? Why?" Ty asked.

"I want to give you the chance to defect with me over to the Alliance."

Ty sat there in silent shock looking at Ian. Could he actually be serious? What if this was a test of his loyalties to the Empire? What if there were armed Stormtroopers outside waiting for the two to come out to arrest him?

"If this is a trick to test me…" Ty started.

"It's not."

"How do I know that?" Ty asked.

Ian pulled out a rebel symbol used by the rebels to prove if they really were part of the Rebellion.

"The sympathizer gave this to me to prove to the rebels I'm really with them and not a spy who discovered them," Ian replied. "Do you want to come or not?"

"I…I don't know," Ty replied. "I need to think about this."

"You don't have time," Ian replied. "I'm leaving tonight. The sympathizer is going to get me off the ship in a shuttle. You have to come with me or never. Which is it?"

Ty sat silent. This was becoming way too much. The innocent deaths, rebellion, all of it. He knew if he went, that would mean treason against the Empire, not only by joining the Alliance, but going AWOL. Both punishable by immediate death. It would also mean he would have to cut off all connections with his family. Possibly forever. But, the Empire couldn't go on like this.

"Fine," Ty finally answered. "I'm coming with you."

"Good," Ian replied. "Come on. Let's go."

"Now?" Ty asked.

"Now."

Ty swallowed. He couldn't believe he was going through with this. But, nonetheless, he was. Ty followed Ian as he led the way to where the rebel sympathizer was waiting. A few minutes later, they reached the docking bay.

"I'm here," Ian said.

"Welcome," said the voice as they entered. "Who is that with you?"

"Ty Cilias," Ian replied. "He's defecting with me."

The sympathizer walked out in plain view and Ty couldn't believe who it was.

The rebel sympathizer was Captain Vuroan.

"Fine," Captain Vuroan said. "Take that shuttle. The pilot will take you to Tatooine. There you will meet up with this man." Captain Vuroan handed over a holo of a man to Ian, who looked at it and then slipped it into his pocket."He'll deliver you to the rebels. Good luck."


	8. Defection: Part II

-1Ty and Ian boarded the shuttle waiting for them. As he boarded, Ty took one look at the inside of the Star Destroyer he had been assigned to and was now betraying it as well as the Empire. Deep down, he knew Ian was right about how evil the Empire was. Not that he wanted the galaxy to return to how corrupt the Republic had become before Palpatine declared himself emperor, but the Empire was just as corrupt now. Captain Vuroan motioned for him to hurry and board it so it could take off. Ty sighed and continued onto the shuttle.

"Hurry, we need to leave as soon as possible," Ian said. He noticed Ty obviously wondering about the pilot. "Relax, he's working for the Alliance too."

"Let's just get out of here," Ty said as he sat down. The pilot activated the shuttle and flew it out of the Star Destroyer's hangar.

Ty watched the blackness of space from his viewpoint in the shuttle and couldn't help but to think. He knew he was quite possibly leaving his life behind forever. The Empire would kill him on sight if nothing more than abandoning his post, much less for being a rebel. But, he knew he couldn't go on serving the Empire and helping its evil reign on the galaxy.

Then his thoughts went to his family. He felt an obvious heaviness in his heart as he knew he could never return home. Even if some sort of miracle happened and the Rebel Alliance won the civil war, his family still might not accept him home. His parents had been so proud of him upon his graduation a few months before. He had thought being a Stormtrooper would have been so different. He just never really realized that the Empire was nothing but evil. Not even after the destruction of Aldeeraan because of Grand Moff Tarkin's eagerness to show off Emperor Palpatine's toy.

An even heavier burden of sadness came over him as Jacen came into his mind. They had become best friends so quickly. Ty always knew he could count on Jacen no matter what. Ty knew if Jacen found out he had defected, he didn't want to know how Jacen would react. Maybe Jacen would even end up hating him. Either way, Ty hoped he would cross paths with him one day again.

The shuttle entered hyperspace.

"Here we go," Ian said. "It won't be long now until we're in rebel hands."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ty said. "Never thought things would turn out like this for me."

"Tell me about it," Ian said. "But, it had to be done."

"Yeah," Ty said. "Where's this rebel base we're going to anyway?"

"It's in the Hoth system," the pilot said. "Hope you like cold weather."

Ty sighed. For what he was getting himself into, he hoped he did too.


End file.
